Virginia Military District

The original thirteen colonies had vague charter boundaries, and in some cases more than one colony claimed the same western land. After controversy and compromise, each new state gave up its western claims and the lands entered the public domain for the benefit of all the states. Virginia, having surrendered vast claims, reserved an area in Ohio called the Virginia Military District, bounded by the Scioto River to the north and east and the Little Miami River to the west; all of present-day Union County lay within it. Large amounts of land there were granted to Virginians who had fought in the Revolutionary War, with acreage depending on rank and length of service. The locations and shapes of the tracts were largely unrestricted, so early claimants selected the land they considered most desirable and later arrivals chose from what remained. The original land surveys in the district, known as Virginia Military Surveys, were rough and prone to error, but they formed the basis for all later surveys and land claims. In 1852, Virginia transferred all remaining land to the federal government, and in 1871 Congress granted it to the State of Ohio for an endowment for The Ohio State University.

Marysville, Ohio · United States